Last Saturday night owners, trainers, drivers and other invited guests from both sides of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge braved the sub-freezing temperatures to make the trip to the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club in Stevensville, Maryland for the annual combined Cloverleaf Standardbred Owners Association and Maryland Standardbred Breeders Association 2025 Horse of the Year Awards Banquet.
Energetic television personality Heather Vitale served as the Master of Ceremonies for the Cloverleaf Awards presentation while Maryland Standardbred Breeders Association President Jackie MacLeod provided the speaking points for the breeders awards. Both groups recognized the numerous equine and human participants who were very successful in the previous year.
Among the horse honorees, Cloverleaf tabbed Caviart Trenton for champion two-year-old pacing colt or gelding, Miss Val's Way for freshman filly pacer, Y'all Got No Shot for juvenile two-year-old trotting colt or gelding and finally And Just Like That for champion freshman filly trotter. Both Y'all Got No Shot and And Just Like That were owned, bred and trained by Richard Hans, who departed with a bevy of trophies from both groups.
Then sophomore pacers Playin For Real (3yocp), Post Jolene and Ragtime Red (co-3yofp), Yall Keep Dreaming (3yoct) and K J The Thirteenth (3yoft) were recognized as were aged pacers Sheer Terror and Phoenix Rising and older trotter College Tuition. Babes All In was chosen as the Ocean Downs horse of the year, while Don'tmesswithles was named the Rosecroft horse of the year. Saulsbrook Boomer was named top male claimer, while Lady Khan was tabbed as female claimer
This year Cloverleaf also honored double millionaire trotter J L Cruze and longtime local owner, driver and racing advocate Kenneth Weckstein with Legacy Award. The group bestowed Special Recognition status on Beau Jangles, the undefeated two-year-old pacing colt owned by Graham Grace Stables LLC, Kiwi Stables LLC and Bolton Stables, as well as the well-traveled Lou's Starr, who won races at four different ovals and earned a berth in the Little Brown Jug last summer.
Cloverleaf also recognized the Great Frederick Fair and the Great Pocomoke Fair as Enduring Contributors, bestowed the Foundation Award upon longtime horseman Phyllis Copeland and honored Joe & Joann Thomson of Winbak Farm with the Lifetime Achievement Award, highlighted by the exploits of Bettor's Delight, both on the track and in the breeding shed.
MacLeod and the Maryland Standardbred Breeders Association honored more than a dozen horses for their respective exploits on and off the track.
Better Gon (2yocgp), That'sloveto (2yofp), Booger Bear (2yocgt) and And Just Like That (2yotf); Brooksforreal (3yocgp), Post Jolene (3yofp), Yall Keep Dreaming (3yocgt) and K J The Thirteenth (3yoft) and Babes All In (aged pacer), Phoenix Rising (aged pacing mare), Judge Bob (aged trotter) and Call Me Goo (aged trotting mare), along with stallions More The Better N (pacer) and Yall Beneath Me (trotter) were also recognized by the breeders.
MacLeod recognized Cheri Stambaugh, the former head of the Maryland Standardbred Race Fund and Pete Szymanski, General Manager of Ocean Downs, with Appreciation Awards. Winbak Farm was selected for the Heritage Breeding Award, longtime local sports writer Ted Black was selected for the Media Appreciation Award and Katie Herman was selected for the Thomas Cooke Award. There is also a scholarship program established by Cloverleaf named for Cooke.
The Mid-Atlantic Driving Club recognized Alexandra Goldin as the winter-spring meet champ, Mark Sheridan as the fall meet champion and Steven Robinson as the year-end leading driver, coincidentally accepting the award from fellow amateur driver Eugene Robinson.
Cloverleaf also recognized a number of human honorees for both their recent and long-term achievements. Trainer Mackenzie Kiel and driver Justin Walters were chosen as Rising Star winners, Jonathan Roberts was honored as leading driver for the winter-spring meet, while Russell Foster took home the trophies for leading driver at Ocean Downs last summer and Rosecroft in the fall. Johnny Crites, Jr. was honored as leading trainer for both Rosecroft meets, while Andrew Fulton earned leading conditioner honors for Ocean Downs.